Telangana Bar and Restaurant Owners' to Protest from today

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

The Bar and Restaurant Owners' Association in Telangana has announced that the bars and restaurants across the state would remain closed starting today . They allege that they were suffering severe financial losses due to the new 'privilege fee' (cess) being introduced by the state government and were demanding its immediate withdrawal.

Protesting the government's decision, they have called for a state-wide shutdown from Monday. Additionally, the members of the Telangana State Bar and Restaurant Owners' Association stated that they plan to lay siege to the Excise Department office.

The state government has decided to collect an annual 'privilege cess' ranging from 8% to 20% from each bar. The Association members state that this move would impose an additional financial burden of approximately Rs 30 lakh per year on each bar. They are also expressing distress over existing challenges such as the authorization of 'permanent rooms' at wine shops and the proliferation of unauthorized 'belt shops,' which are already causing them significant financial loss.

The  State President of the Bar and Restaurant Owners Association Damodar Goud stated that despite facing numerous hardships, they already pay the government between Rs 33 lakh and Rs 56 lakh annually in license fees and added that an additional burden of up to Rs 30 lakh was being imposed under the guise of a "privilege cess." He demanded the immediate withdrawal of this proposed cess while warning that they would stage a protest at the Excise Commissioner's office.

Meanwhile, following the call for a shutdown, over 1,200 bars and restaurants across Telangana are set to close. The Association representatives have stated that the strike would continue until the government respond and added that if their demands are not met, they would  resort to hunger strikes and escalate their agitation in the future.